From The New York Shitty Photo Pool: The Conclusion Of The Pigeon Keeper Series

Today I have received word from Chris Arnade that he has wrapped up his pigeon keeper series for the time being. Follows is slide show of his photo set with commentary. Enjoy!

It was last summer that I first noticed the beautiful flocks of pigeons high above Maria Hernandez park in Bushwick. At the time I had no idea that they where part of an old sport.

Brought over by the Italians, Bushwick used to have well over a hundred guys (yes all of them are guys) who kept pigeons on the roofs, now its only about twenty. Not raised to race (that’s another sport), they are simply collected and bred and then flown to highlight their beauty.

These days, its mostly Dominican and Puerto Rican men; everyone one of them has been more than happy to show me their flocks.